This invention relates to the preparation of substituted indazole derivatives and to intermediates that may be used in said preparation. The substituted indazole derivatives that may be prepared in accord with the present invention are disclosed in U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/016,861 (filed May 3, 1996), entitled "Substituted Indazole Derivatives And Related Compounds." The foregoing U.S. provisional patent application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The substituted indazole derivatives that may be prepared in accord with the present invention are selective inhibitors of phosphodiesterase (PDE) type IV and the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), as disclosed in U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/016,861, referred to above. As such, the substituted indazole derivatives that may be prepared in accord with the present invention are useful in the treatment of asthma, joint inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, gouty arthritis, rheumatoid spondylitis, osteoarthritis and other arthritic conditions, as well as other conditions or diseases involving PDE type IV or the production of TNF.